If You Make Her Cry
by Elianna22
Summary: Zack gets a taste of his own medicine when his little girl falls for a notorious player. What's an over-protective papa to do?


**A/N: Hello, dear readers :) This scene started out as a dialogue assignment for a romance writing course. The idea of a grown-up Zack dealing with his daughter getting involved with a player, just the kind of guy he used to be, has captured my imagination for a while. Sooner or later everyone gets a taste of their own medicine…  
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**Disclaimer: Disney owns Zack Martin.**

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><p>"<strong>If You Make Her Cry"<strong>

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><p>The elevator door opened at the twenty-first floor of the Dallas Tipton Hotel and Farshad Nazarov ambled toward his suite. All he wanted to do was sprawl on the deluxe king bed, turn on CNN, and stop thinking about Mel. Even though he knew he wouldn't be able to. His head was still swimming from the sweetness of her mouth, the tug of her lips, the cinnamon taste of her skin. Mel wiggling in his lap, panting in his ear while around them the windows of his BMW rental fogged.<p>

The light flicked on as soon as he opened the door.

He jumped. "What the hell?"

"Hello, Farshad." The greeting came out in a low, menacing drawl.

First Farshad saw boots propped on the desk. Inches from the black barrel of a Glock. Then he saw a pair of jean-clad legs and a male profile.

Zack Martin was sitting at the desk, leaning back in the chair as casually as though he were in his own living room.

"Zack?" Farshad tried to keep his tone neutral as he shut the door behind him. _Oh shit oh shit oh shit. I only _just_ fooled around with her. Please don't him let him know already._ Fleetingly he wondered if his fly was undone. No, he was never that careless.

"I thought we should have a little talk," Zack said.

_Shit._ "About what?"

"Melanie."

_SHIT._ "What about her?"

"Do you know what the worst thing you can do to a person is?" Zack asked conversationally.

"Kill them?" Farshad suggested. The gun seemed to grow larger, a dark blot crowding his peripheral vision. The neurons of his fight or flight instinct began a fierce debate.

"You would think," Zack said. "But no."

"Um..." Farshad wanted to give another answer but knew there was no point. Any answer he gave would be the wrong one.

"My persuasive interview instructor had some thoughts on this. Involving chicken wire, a cheese grater, and a live porcupine. He always felt that that was the worst thing you could do to a person."

Farshad's flight neurons inched toward victory.

"But I've always felt that betrayal is the worst thing you can do. Do you know what I mean, Farshad?"

The fight neurons surged ahead, powered by the kind of irritation Farshad felt when dealing with pesky CEOs who thought they knew how to run a company. "Have you gone bat-shit crazy?" he asked and swung his briefcase onto the bed. "Breaking into my hotel room like a common criminal? What are you trying to accomplish here?"

Zack said, with the bluntness of a gavel, "I don't like this thing with you and Mel."

"Mel's an adult. She can make her own decisions."

Silence. Farshad met Zack's gaze, enforcing a sullen staring contest. Another tactic for dealing with pesky CEOs. While he stared, the flight contingent tried to calculate the number of steps to the elevator. But could he outrun a bullet? That was the real question in this alpha male standoff.

"Fine," Zack said after about thirty seconds had passed. "But there are ground rules. And if you don't abide by them, the main rule will be that _you'll_ be in the ground."

Farshad refused to look away. He folded his arms.

"If you make her cry, I'll make you cry harder. And then I'll kill you. If you break her heart, I'll pull your heart out through your throat and show it to you. And then I'll kill you. If you cheat on her... well, I don't think I need to say what I'll do. And then I'll kill you... with it. In fact the only reason I haven't hung you upside down by your testicle hair is that certain members of my family think you have redeeming qualities." Zack paused. "Right now I can't think of any."

Outrage exploded through Farshad's chest. "I saved your life, man. If I hadn't found you that day in the mountains, you would've died. Mel wouldn't even exist."

"That doesn't mean you get to use my daughter and throw her away. She's not one of your playthings." Zack stood up. He tucked the Glock into a hip holster and walked over to Farshad, crossing the room in three strides. He leaned into Farshad's face so that their noses touched—almost. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Farshad said, cursing his croaky voice.

"Good." Zack strolled to the door. He stopped, hand on the knob, and without turning around, said, "One more rule. You have to tell Connor. Or I will."

The door closed.

Farshad's knees wobbled and he dropped onto the bed. He rested his head on the briefcase, his thoughts lurching with images of the shower stall showdown at Connor's wedding, of Zack's fist aiming for his jaw, a mad glint in his eyes, while Mel screamed and begged him to stop.

Round two had just started.

_This is getting real way too fast_, he thought. _I've just spent all day at the hospital. I don't need to go back there. _

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><p><strong>AN: This scene will appear in the fifth and final installment of the **_**Just One of the Guys/Repercussions**_** series, tentatively titled **_**Four Deadly Rules**_** in homage to the TV series **_**Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter**_** that starred the late and beloved John Ritter, a true comic genius. Other inspirations include Woody's fury over Cody dating his sister in the SLOD episode "My Sister's Keeper" and Bailey's father's vehement dislike of Cody in the "Twister" episodes. Thanks for reading, guys, and please share your thoughts. Y'all are awesome. Xoxoxo – Ellie**

**For long-time readers, the shower stall showdown took place in **_**Shotgun Blues**_** (the original version). Zack and Farshad met at the end of **R2 Chapter 22 "I Have Something to Tell You."**  
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